Clothes washing machine



Jan. 28, 1958 E. A. KEEDY CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Filed Aug. 30, 1954 V illlllllg lwmlllll I L INVENTOR ESTHER A. KEEDY BY MM ATTORNEYS United States Patent CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Esther A. Keedy, Los Angeles, Calif. Application August 30, 1954, Serial No. 453,096 2 Claims. (Cl. 68-48) This invention has to do with clothes washing devices and has for an object the provision of a simple, portable, convenient and efiicient device for use in washing small articles of clothing such as stockings and lingerie.

It is also an object to provide an apparatus for washing clothes which entails confining the articles to be washed while alternately forcing the washing liquid into and squeezing it from the articles being washed.

It is a further and more particular object to provide a cylinder for confining the clothes to be washed, the cylinder having perforations in its bottom portion and in its side adjacent its bottom, and a piston having bottom ribs for engaging the clothes, and having means for rotating the piston While it is being reciprocated.

While I shall point out in the appended claims the features which I believe to be new. for the purpose of explaining my invention I shall now describe a presently preferred embodiment thereof. for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a medial vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, I show at 5 a hollow cylinder having perforations 6 in its side wall adjacent its bottom. The cylinder also has a bottom wall 7 presenting perforations 8.

A cover cap 15 is detachably mounted on the top end of the cylinder, the cap having a peripheral flange 16 presenting diametrically opposite bayonet slots 17 which, in cooperation with radial pins 18 carried by the side wall of the cylinder, hold the cover cap locked on the cylinder. The cover cap has a central opening 19 surrounded by a depending annular flange 20.

A piston or plunger 25 is mounted to reciprocate in the cylinder and has a peripheral groove 26 in which a conventional O-ring 27 is mounted so that the piston or plunger has sealing engagement with the side wall of the cylinder. The bottom of the piston or plunger has radially arranged, depending ribs 28 for the purpose to be described.

A piston rod 30 is fixed at its bottom end to the piston and reciprocally extends through the opening 19 and flange 20, its top end carrying a relatively rotatable handle 32.

The piston rod also has, in its periphery, a spiral groove 34 into which the end of a screw 35 projects, the screw being threaded through an opening in flange 20. Thus, it will be observed that, as the piston is reciprocated, the cooperating groove 34 and screw 35 impart a rotary motion which is transmitted to the piston.

The bottom wall of the cylinder carries circumferentially spaced supporting legs 40.

The device is preferably placed upright in an open topped, dish shaped wash water receptacle 45 containing wash water W to a level above the topmost perforations 6. The supporting legs 40 space the bottom wall of the cylinder from the bottom wall of the receptacle to permit water to enter and be discharged through perforations 8.

In use, the cover cap and piston are removed and the articles to be washed are placed in the washing chamber C defined by the bottom of the piston, the bottom wall 7 and the surrounding side wall of the cylinder. The

piston and cover cap are remounted and the cylinder is then supported in spaced relation to the bottom wall of the container 45, by the supports 40, the container carrying suitable washing liquid.

Then the user manually reciprocates the piston. On the up-stroke, the washing liquid is drawn into the chamber C and the clothes therein through the perforations 6, 8, and on each down-stroke of the piston the clothes are simultaneously squeezed and rolled by the piston as the water is forced from the clothes and outwardly through the perforations into the receptacle. This is repeated until the clothes are cleaned, after which the washing liquid may be removed from the receptacle 45 and replaced with rinse water, after which the operation is repeated to rinse the clothes. The ribs 28 engage the clothes in the washing chamber to insure that they are given a rolling movement. I may also provide the bottom wall 7 with opposite radially disposed ribs 50, to cooperate with the ribs 28. The top wall 15 of .the cylinder is provided with air-passing opening 51 to permit free upward movement of the piston.

I claim:

1. A clothes washing machine comprising a cylinder having a side wall and a bottom wall, a piston mounted to reciprocate in said cylinder and forming with said walls a chamber for containing clothes to be washed, depending radial ribs on the bottom of said piston, said walls having perforations opening into said chamber, a cover cap removably mounted on said cylinder and having a central opening, an annular flange carried by said cover and surrounding said opening, a piston rod secured at its bottom end to said piston and extending through said opening, a spirally disposed groove in the periphery of said piston rod, a radial pin carried by said flange and extending into said groove whereby to impart rotative movement to said piston rod in response to axial movement thereof relative to said cylinder, and supporting legs depending from said bottom wall.

2. A clothes washing machine comprising a cylinder having a side wall and a bottom wall, a piston mounted to reciprocate in said cylinder and forming with said walls a chamber for containing clothes to be washed, depending radial ribs on the bottom of said piston, radial upstanding ribs carried by said bottom wall opposite said first mentioned ribs, said Walls having perforations opening into said chamber, a cover cap removably mounted on said cylinder and having a central opening, an annular flange carried by said cover and surrounding said opening, a piston rod secured at its bottom end to said piston and extending through said opening, a spirally disposed groove in the periphery of said piston rod, a radial pin carried by said flange and extending into said groove whereby to impart rotative movement to said piston rod in response to axial movement thereof relative to said cylinder, and supporting legs depending from said bottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 290,134 Steelman Dec. 11, 1883 364,613 Turner June 7, 1887 704,071 Miller July 8, 1902 1,411,286 Lombard Apr. 4, 1922 1,822,215 Harold Sept. 8, 1931 1,990,272 Ducker Feb. 5, 1935 2,161,208 Soderholm June 6, 1939 2,359,875 Scharringhausen Oct. 10, 1944 2,514,712. Lundell July 11, 1950 2,530,028 Petersen Nov. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 81,308 Switzerland June 2, 1919 

